Is being tested positive for Streptococcus B in my vagina a concern?

Hi M2 – it’s unlikely that the culprit for painful sex in your situation is Streptococcus B – the PAP smear result was just an incidental pick-up. It’s actually a commonly found bacteria in women, found in the vagina of up to 1 in 4 women (and causing no symptoms whatsoever in most).

Strep B in the vagina is more relevant when a woman is pregnant, in which case it has to be eradicated to prevent dangerous infections to the baby.

My money would be on the recent yeast infection as the cause of your itchiness and feeling of rawness with sex. It will likely go on it’s own with time (1-2 weeks), and in the meanwhile you can use more lubricant during sex.

If that doesn’t resolve, revisit your GP as there could be other underlying issues. Eg any of what you’ve described could also be symptomatic of an STD (especially if you’ve been exposed or had unsafe sex), for which you would need other specific tests.

Cheers

Streptococcus B is a possible constituent of the normal vaginal flora. It is found in up to 2 in 5 women. Many a time it is an incidental finding and may not need to be eradicated unless symptoms are present, or the individual is pregnant.